


Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

by cynicalkairos



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, M/M, Miscommunication, help these poor gays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-16 00:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21498769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynicalkairos/pseuds/cynicalkairos
Summary: Still early in their relationship, Ted and Henry experience another of their first times, only this time is not as pretty as previous firsts. This is the tale of their first fight. Prepare for the angst.Posted from my tumblr cynicalkairos
Relationships: Henry Hidgens/Ted, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 18
Kudos: 54





	1. Gonna Set This Dance Alight

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy!  
> It's Kairos and this is just a repost from my tumblr. This has minor editing changes after I have read it over when it was not the middle of the night. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything seems normal, right? Wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Language, Arguing, General yelling, lots of anger, and self-destruction

As normal as living through the apocalypse can be, this morning seemed to be the epitome of it. The sun poured through the window and caused Emma to wake up. Blinking her eyes at the brightness of her surroundings, she looked beside her and noticed that Paul was still asleep. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before leaving the warmth of the bed.

Emma then padded toward the bathroom in a slow trek across the room as to not disturb Paul and partially out of her still sleepy state. Upon entry, she moved to the mirror and evaluated herself. Her hair was in somewhat decent shape and it’s not like she was going anywhere, so decided to put her hair up in her signature style and proceeded to the shower. After she finished and brushed her teeth, she went back into the bedroom. She changed and thought to herself about how normal the day began.

Until she went downstairs.

From about halfway down the stairs, she could hear arguing coming from the kitchen. Usually, the mornings were mostly silent as almost no one, except the professor and herself, were morning people. Ted was definitely not a morning person initially, but Henry's habits of avoiding sleep created a weird sleep schedule for them and he learned to deal with it. Ever since he got with Ted, she noticed how not only did Henry go to sleep at somewhat of a decent hour, Ted woke up earlier as well. Their daily routine fell into the cycle of Henry waking up at an ungodly hour to work because he had an idea and couldn't get it out of his head, then Ted waking up and bringing their coffee because Henry woke him up, and finally, Emma waking up to make sure that breakfast gets made without it being burned by the two idiots with everyone else following after. Despite her mental ramblings, Emma could tell that there was evidently some commotion happening in the kitchen.

“You should be thanking me for getting rid of that shit! It was disgusting!” Ted yelled, flinging his arms up in the air in frustration.

Emma couldn’t say that she was surprised that Ted was arguing with someone even at this hour in the morning, but she was surprised when she discovered that the opposing force was Henry. As far as she remembered, even in the most irritating situations or when dealing with the worst students, she had never seen him as livid in her life. He was always the one who kept a cool head and used logic to ease the other person. Even then, the professor would leave or ask the other person to leave before the situation escalated any further.

This Henry was unexpected. She could tell that he was not just frustrated but agitated as well. His face was entirely red and his hands were balled into fists so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Emma also could not forget the look of pure hurt in his eyes. She sensed that Henry did not want to argue with Ted, but his partner was persistent and Henry was dramatic. And both were too confident in being right to let the other win.

“That ‘piece of shit’ that you so kindly discarded of took me ages of exploration into the town to obtain,” Henry responded with a tone that permeated sarcasm and the addition of air quotes for dramatic effect.

“Yeah? For what?” Ted moved his hands until there was little space between them. “One tiny piece of goo?”

“How many times do I need to explain this to you? I needed that specimen to work on the cure for the–”

“You mean, the cure that you’ve worked on for weeks with no progress?” Ted interrupted and moved his gaze that darted about the room to Henry’s eyes, staring at them intently. “Because, the way I see it, it’s doing jack shit to improve anything!”

Henry opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Emma watched as his eyes shifted from the previous sadness to anger. At that moment, Emma recognized the following sequence of events. Although the professor was renown for his calm demeanor toward arguments, every characteristic regarding that mindset went away with the degradation of his knowledge, his title, and, in this situation, his work ethic. From prior experience, she knew that Henry was proud of those achievements and hearing anyone disregard them caused him to remove all inhibitions and unleash his anger on the other person, regardless of whoever that person was, and because she witnessed some of these instances, he normally was relentless with his retaliation.

In a quick moment, Henry pushed himself away from the counter and moved closer to Ted, while saying, “At least I’m trying to do something, Ted! From what I recall, all you—” He jabbed a finger into Ted’s chest, causing Ted to look at the finger and then back at Henry with his jaw slacked. “—do is sleep, drink, and bother me. I work my ass off trying to develop a way to stop the fucking world from succumbing to those aliens! Hell, I went back out there and risked my life to get that ‘piece of shit’ that you took it upon yourself to dispose of. So, don’t you dare tell me that I don’t do anything for you or anyone else for that matter!”

Silence.

No one bothered to move a single inch. Emma wanted to interfere and stop the whole situation from escalating into something that they would later regret, but the coffee maker signaled that the coffee finished brewing and Ted looked at the machine. He walked over and grabbed his mug of coffee, turning back to Henry, adopting an eerily calm tone. “Well, don’t mind me. I’m just going to do what I do best while you shove that fucking tree further up your ass.”

As Ted walked past him, Henry turned and moved to follow him, all anger removed from his features and replaced with regret and sadness. “Ted, wait—”

“No, I don’t want to bother you anymore,” Ted replied defiantly after turning around. He swept his eyes over Henry's broken figure slowly. Emma saw that the expression on Ted's face shifted from that of complete rage to a quick flash of hurt and, as rapidly as that expression showed, it went away, the anger replacing it with full force.

With those words, Ted stormed off upstairs to anywhere but where he knew that Henry would be. Henry’s eyes watched him the entire way, wanting to say something without the ability to do so. Tears began streaming down his face and he slammed his clenched fist into the countertop next to him with full force, two distinct and clear snaps resounding from the collision. Henry stood there for a moment, taking in deep breaths slowly. Then the adrenaline from the entire situation disappeared and pain overcame him. He cradled his hand with the other rapidly, as his face scrunched up in a mixture of emotional and physical pain.

She could only imagine what he was going through. Sure, Emma had fights with Jane, her parents, and practically everyone else in her life, but she never had a serious fight with a lover or a boyfriend before. She was lucky enough that she and Paul had never fought and hoped that it never happened, especially now after seeing Henry's reaction. The man who was one of the strongest people that Emma knew looked almost helpless. Emma was stunned and could not move to help. Even though she knew how the argument would end, the shock from the argument and Henry’s consequent actions rendered her speechless.

It wasn’t until the professor turned around that he noticed Emma was even in the room. Emma gasped and felt her heart shatter when she saw Henry’s state of complete agony in his face, his eyes, and his entire body. When he saw her, he straightened his back and tried to clean himself up, accidentally hitting his hands against the counter again. Pretending everything was fine, he said, “Emma, I didn’t see you there. Would you like some—”

“Cut the crap, Hidgens,” Emma interrupted. “I saw everything.”

Henry stopped talking and sighed, his physical state once more reflecting his emotional one. Emma walked over and pulled him into a hug, standing on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck comfortingly. Henry froze momentarily and then gingerly returned the hug. He placed his head on her shoulder and quietly cursed when the sobs overcame him.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise,” she reassured him, before removing herself from his arms. “Let’s go fix up your hand.”

“No, no, I assure you I can fix it myself, Emma.”

“For fuck's sake, Professor, at this hour in the morning, I'm not taking no for an answer.”

Henry sighed and relented, too much so in pain to fight back. When they turned to leave, a very confused and drowsy Paul stood in the way. He looked between Henry’s teary and red face, Henry’s badly fucked up hand, and Emma, before saying, “What did I miss?”


	2. Oh, Don't Give Us None of Your Aggravation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Paul deal with Henry after the fight. Ted deals with his own problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Alcohol, Language, Broken appendages, Angst, Mentions of Self-Destruction, Some Canonical Character Deaths

Once Emma led Henry to the couch to sit down, she went back to the kitchen to find the medical kit. Of course, he had to go and do something completely irrational. She was saddened by the fact that she wasn’t surprised by his outburst. Ted could be aggravating at times and Emma knew from experience that one of the professor’s biggest pet peeves was people interfering with his work without permission. The combination of the two ending in a fight was certainly inevitable. She didn’t know how the argument started in the first place, but it didn’t look good either way.

After her pondering, she noticed Paul leaning against the counter, sipping on his coffee. He looked at her and watched as she scrambled to find it, saying, “Bottom right cabinet.”

Emma looked back at him and nodded, moving to the aforementioned cabinet and finding it. She placed it on the counter closest to Paul and started to sort through the supplies quickly.

“So,” Paul started slowly. “Mind filling me in?”

Emma sighed exasperatedly and threw some bandages on the side. “The professor and Ted got in a fight.”

“Oh,” he nodded and went quiet for a moment, taking another sip, before frowning. "Wait. They never fight. What happened?"

"I don't know. I just came down here and they were at each other's throats."

“Then what was that crash?”

“The professor slammed his hand into the counter.”

“Wow. Okay. I mean, I saw Henry’s hand and it— it looks bad, Emma.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Paul downed the rest of his coffee and sat the mug down next to him. He then turned completely, looking at the mess in front of Emma. “Em, he’s going to be okay.”

Emma stopped and released the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her mind was racing at a million miles per hour, cycling through different ways to solve the problem. Emma and Henry never talked about it after the events happened, but she knew the extent of Henry’s destructive tendencies and she didn’t want anything to happen to him. But all of her worries were gone when she looked at him.

“I— I know. I’m just worried about him.”

Paul took her hands in his hands. “I know, but he’ll get through this.”

Their tender moment was interrupted with a loud scream followed by a string of curses.

Emma and Paul’s eyes widened, recognizing the voice as the professor’s, before running into the next room.

Charlotte was sitting on the couch next to Henry, looking at him with a concerned look, just as he downed a shot of some unknown alcohol. He grimaced in pain.

“I told you it was going to hurt,” Charlotte told him, taking the glass from them.

“Good god, I neglected to think it would hurt that much.”

Emma ran over to him and crouched down beside him. “Professor, was that you?”

Henry swallowed and nodded. “Yeah…”

“What the fuck happened?”

Henry picked up the whiskey and poured another shot clumsily, spilling some over the side before saying casually, “Apparently, I really fucked up this time.”

Emma looked at Henry with a mixture of shock and horror after he downed the next shot with no grimace and then she exchanged a look with Paul. The professor just simply looked up at them nonchalantly when they stared at him with a bizarre expression. “What?”

“Nothing— it’s nothing.” Emma shook it off and then looked at Charlotte. “How did you do that?”

Charlotte shrugged and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. “Sam would sometimes get hurt at work and we didn’t really have the money to go to the hospital, so I learned some medical stuff to help.”

Emma squinted and nodded. Definitely a normal thing to do as a couple. “Okay, well—”

“You know,” Charlotte interjected. “I once fixed Sam’s—“

“That’s great, Charlotte, but what happened to Henry?” Paul asked.

“Oh, he just dislocated his ring finger and— I’m not a doctor, but I think he might’ve either broken or fractured something in his hand and pinky.”

Emma sighed and looked over at Henry, who at some time left their presence and was in the kitchen taping his middle and ring finger together to create a sort of splint. He looked up and pursed his lips, before going to retrieve ice from the freezer. She went over and helped him when he struggled to remove the cubes from the tray. Emma didn’t know if it was from his alcohol consumption, the injured hand, or even both. He mumbled a quick expression of gratitude and went silent, returning his gaze to the floor.

From even a quick glance at him, Emma noted how quiet he was. Henry was hardly quiet. Whether he was ranting about different aspects of Ted both before and after they got together or enlightening those around him with everything anyone needed to know about biology or musical theatre, the only thing in common between anything in that vast range was that he spoke about them with constant dramatics and enthusiasm. However, the man next to her looked anything but that. His back was slumped and his face and eyes were red from crying. His hand looked horrible, as the swelling engorged the outside of his right hand considerably, spreading to the rest of his hand and partially to his wrist after some time. She could tell that the alcohol was setting in when he started to tap his uninjured fingers in a melodic rhythm.

To Emma, the most heartbreaking part was that, even with his height, he looked… smaller and perhaps broken. Emma feared what thoughts might be running through Henry’s head because she knew the extent of his self-destruction and slamming his hand on the counter was only the tip of the iceberg.

Emma placed the ice in a bag and handed it to him, putting the remaining back in the freezer. He took it and immediately rested the bag on his hand, never saying a word. She then stood in front of him and crossed her arms, loosely.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Emma asked quietly, earning a slow shake of the head from Henry. “That’s okay. Just know that you can talk to me, okay?”

Henry nodded again distantly. She was about to leave when he said, “Thank you, Emma. For everything.”

Emma smiled and flashed her signature finger guns at her, relieved to hear him chuckle. “No problem, Professor.”

“Henry— call me Henry. Everyone else does by this point.”

She looked at him for a moment. Despite how much she wanted to, Emma couldn’t. That name for him was one of the things that remained from the normalcy of a word without the apocalypse. In lieu of elaborate explanation, she just shook her hand and said, “I don’t think I’m gonna, Professor.”

———

After everyone went to their separate ways, Ted finally emerged from the depths of the house and went down to the living room. The room was empty, except for Bill and Alice, who were watching some movie.

He sighed in relief, not being able to handle dealing with Paul, Emma, and, most definitely, Henry. Then Ted walked across the room, heading directly for the bar.

Bill stood up at his entry and walked hastily toward him, blocking his path to the alcohol, saying, “Ted, that’s not a good idea.”

“I don’t think I asked for your fucking opinion, Bill. Now, get outta my way.”

“First of all, there’s a child in the room—”

“I’m seventeen, Dad!”

“Not helping, Alice. Second of all, I am not moving. Ted, you’re not in a good place—”

“Well, I’m gonna be once I get to the booze.”

“Think rationally. Henry wouldn’t want to see you—”

At this statement, Ted scowled and said, “You’re right. He doesn’t want to see me. And you know what, Bill? I don’t give a fuck about him.”

“Ted—”

“Did they make you stay here and guard the fucking bar, so I couldn’t get to it? Is that what you’re doing, huh?” Ted asked Bill. He couldn’t think of a single reason that Bill would prevent him from drinking. He remembered Bill’s refusal to drink due to him fulfilling the role of a designated driver, but that certainly wasn’t necessary now. Despite everything, Ted couldn’t decipher Bill’s intentions.

Bill furrowed his brow and shook his head. “No, they didn’t make me do anything. You’re my friend, Ted, and trying to get you to avoid doing something that you’ll regret later.”

“Well, guess what?” Ted huffed and looked him dead in the eye. “If you were a good friend, you would let me go get drunk off my ass right now.”

“No, Ted, that’s not—“

“You know what? Fuck this, Bill. Fuck this and this whole goddamn shit hole of a house.”

“Ted, you’re overreacting,” Bill said, placing a hand on Ted’s chest as an attempt to placate him.

Ted threw off Bill’s hand in disgust and anger, before storming back Bill and over to the alcohol. He was almost there when he heard a small voice say, “Ted?”

He turned around and saw Alice standing beside Bill. He frowned and furrowed his brow. Ted wanted to brush her off with blatant disregard and proceed to indulge in an alcoholic haze, but he couldn’t dismiss the look of sadness on her face.

“Please don’t do it. I know you want to, but you don’t need to.”

Ted laughed and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Why not?”

Alice pulled the sleeves of her sweaters down over her hands and began toying with the ends, looking down at them before saying, “The last time I saw Deb before I saw her as one of those zombie things was when we fought. I felt numb. I wanted to make things right with her, but I never really got the chance.”

“And what’s that supposed’ta mean to me?” Ted asked with a confused expression on his face.

“Well, I know Henry’s not dead, but my dad’s right. He wouldn’t want to see you like that. You can make your own choices and do whatever you feel is necessary. I just think that maybe this isn’t the best option.”

“What would be the best option? Talking to him?”

“Yes. Exactly. I never got a chance to say goodbye to Deb and you’re lucky enough to have each other in this whole mess. Don’t let something so trivial like a fight get between you two.”

Ted stopped for a minute and just thought about what she said, while looking between her, Bill, and the bar behind him. In the back of his mind, he knew that Henry would never forgive himself for being what he believed was the cause of his regression into bad habits, but he couldn’t help remembering what Henry said, “All you do is eat, drink, and bother me.” Was he really that much of a nuisance that he irritated the man he loved the most? He knew the answer. The answer was clear and simple in his head.

Yes.

Nevertheless, Ted masked his internal self-deprecation and plastered a smile on his face. “Okay, fine. You convinced me. What movie are you watching?”

Bill looked back at the TV and then at Ted. “High School Musical. Would you like to join us?”

Ted nodded and moved to sit near the corner of the couch. Throughout the movie, he would occasionally glance toward the bar and after everyone else was asleep when the movie was done, he went to the bar, selecting the strongest alcohol he could find and retreating to an empty and desolate room.


	3. Get About as Oiled as a Diesel Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days have passed and the others have watched as Ted and Henry fall apart without each other. This is Ted's chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of alcoholism and drinking alcohol, implications of drinking alcohol, language (as always), brief mentions of violence, self-doubt
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Days passed and Emma watched as both Henry and Ted deteriorated into former shells of themselves.

Without any surprise from the other residents in the house, Ted regressed into his heavy drinking habits and reputation as an alcoholic. Bottles and bottles of liquor disappeared almost as quickly as the fight occurred and it was not too long before Ted emerged and claimed more. He moved into one of the spare rooms and spent most of his time there, drinking and relishing in the alcoholic haze that ensued. Emma attempted to talk to him, but he refused to talk to her because he thought that Henry sent her to talk to him. He closed the door on her time after time.

As a last resort, Emma convinced Paul to talk to him, hoping that his friendship with Ted helped. Paul stood in front of the door nervously and went to knock on the door until it flung open rapidly. Ted leaned on the door and nonchalantly looked at Paul. He reeked of alcohol and sweat and he looked plastered. His hair fell in his face and he almost had a complete beard on his face. Ted cleared his throat and said, “What the fuck do you want? Is this another stupid attempt to get me to apologize to Henry?”

Paul’s eyes widened and he shook his head violently. “I just want to talk. Emma told me what happened and…I wanted to hear your side.”

Ted raised an eyebrow and chewed on his lip, before letting Paul inside. The room was filthy with alcohol littered everywhere and everything in total disarray. Ted closed the door behind him and stumbled over to the bed, sitting down abruptly and asking, “So, what do you want to know?”

Paul stood in the corner and placed his hands in his pockets, thinking about what he was going to say, before settling on, “How did it start?”

“If you’re looking for some juicy gossip—”

“I just want the truth,” Paul admitted. “You look like shit and it’s not a good look on you.”

“Gee, thanks, Paul.”

“No problem. Look, we’re all worried about you. I am, Alice is, Bill and Charlotte are most definitely are, even Emma is.”

“And? Why should I care? If I knew that you were just going to guilt me into—”

“Just stop!” Paul pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Ted, stop. I’m here for your sake. Look at yourself. You’re stuck in this shithole because you can’t say three simple words.”

“We both know it’s not that easy. Besides, it’s not like Henry wants to speak to me anyway.”

“You know better than I do that he does. I bet he’s more worried about you than himself.”

Ted scoffed. “No, he’s not. He’s probably worried about saving the world more than me.”

“Stop with that bullshit. He is. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

Ted went quiet for a second, scratching the side of his head and nodding, saying, “Okay, whatever.”

“Alright, then,” Paul started and trailed off while gathering his thoughts. “Back to the beginning, how did this all start?”

After a while, Paul decided he was not telling him, so he turned to leave. Just then, Ted said, “It was really late one night about a week ago…”

———

It was when Ted heard footsteps in the bedroom that he knew Henry was in the room after he exited the shower. He looked at his watch and the time read: 10:06. Now, this would have been a normal occurrence, except for the fact that Henry was absent from the late morning to late in the evening. Ted frowned as he wrapped a towel around his waist, wiping away a gap in a mirror to look at himself. He tossed his hair and after being satisfied with the results, walked into the bedroom.

Henry was taking off his shoes and placing them on his shoe rack, walking around the room and putting things in their rightful places. While doing this, Ted took in Henry’s figure. He looked different somehow like he’d been outside. The knees on his pants were covered with dirt and dust as was the rest of his clothes really upon further investigation. His usual fluffy hair was matted down with something, but he couldn’t tell what. Henry just looked…different and Ted didn’t know the reasoning behind it.

Henry noticed Ted’s presence after a minute and cleared his throat, a blush creeping up on his cheeks when seeing his intent gaze on him. He looked away to place his watch on the dresser, saying, “Oh, hi, Ted. What’re you doing?”

Ted snapped out of his trance and then regained his composure, before sauntering over to Henry and wrapping his arms around his waist. “Just enjoying the view, babe.”

“I figured,” Henry replied, turning around to face Ted and wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Where were you? You missed dinner. I was worried.”

“I apologize for causing you grief, but I was just working.”

“I checked in the lab and you weren’t there.”

“I… was out in the garden. Must’ve taken longer than I thought.”

Ted didn’t believe him but nodded anyway, pressing a kiss on his forehead and then his cheek. “Just tell me next time, okay?”

“I will. I promise.”

Henry pulled Ted in and kissed him gently out of reassurance. All of Ted’s concern for the situation melted away as the kiss deepened and he felt the fabric of his partner’s turtleneck press against his chest. Henry ran a hand through his hair and Ted rubbed circles into Henry’s hips. Soon, Henry broke the kiss and rested his forehead on Ted’s.

The two of them stayed in that position for a while, swaying slowly to no particular rhythm. As with every time this happened, neither of them knew that they were moving unless someone else interrupted the moment to let them know that they were about to run into a coffee table or they noticed that they moved from one spot to another. This just occurred naturally as neither Henry nor Ted ever stopped moving. Henry seemed to always be darting from one place to another with some sort of idea that his mind manufactured and Ted’s mouth seemed to never cease talking.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to take a shower,” Henry said after recognizing his surroundings once more and separated from Ted just enough to look him in the eye.

“Okay. Don’t take too long,” Ted replied and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Ted let Henry leave his arms and he watched him go. He sighed and changed, before getting into bed. He knew that Henry was hiding something from him, but he didn’t want to pry. On the other hand, he needed to know if he was okay. So, Ted got in bed and left only the lamp next to him on.

Henry returned soon after his shower in sweatpants. That was when Ted saw the damage. “Holy shit,” Ted thought to himself as he examined his partner from afar. Henry’s arms were covered in scratches and bruises with some looking deeper than others, but the most notable mark on his body was a large bruise on his shoulder. More damage was scattered across his back, refuting the lie of gardening.

“So,” Ted spoke up, startling Henry and making him almost drop the shirt he was holding. “I didn’t know gardening was that rough, Hen.”

Henry looked up at him in surprise and quickly pulled the shirt on. “Ted! I thought you were asleep.”

“Nope. I’m clearly not. Are you going to tell me how all that happened?”

Henry walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it, before responding by saying, “I was going to tell you in the morning. You looked tired.”

“That’s a lie and we both know it,” Ted said, glaring at Henry the entire time and not averting his gaze. “So, what were you doing? And no bullshit this time.”

“I went on a supply run.”

Ted’s brow furrowed and his jaw fell slack slightly out of shock, before mustering up the words to say, “Without me?”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt. We both know how dangerous they can be.”

“Yeah, I can see that! Henry, I don’t care about getting hurt as long as I know I’m here to protect you.”

“I know, but—”

“Henry, babe. I know you can protect yourself, but it’s not safe out there, especially when you’re alone.”

“I was going to ask you, but—”

“But what?”

“Can’t you understand that I didn’t want you to get hurt?” Henry asked too loudly, tears brimming his eyes. He crawled forward and laid next to Ted on the bed. Henry took Ted’s hand with both of his and stroked it gently with his thumb. “I just wanted to protect you.”

“And I can’t protect you if I don’t go with you.”

“I know. I apologize for not asking you to go with me.”

“Okay,” Ted replied after a beat, bringing Henry’s hands to kiss them. “What happened to your chest, babe?”

“One of the buildings I was in was starting to collapse and I believe some of the debris hit me if I’m not mistaken.”

“And that bruise?”

“Well, one found some type of a blunt object and then hit my shoulder with it,” Henry confessed, looking at the sheets. “It’s fine, though. I killed it quickly and escaped.”

“Good.” Ted smiled and moved under the covers. opening up the blanket for Henry to crawl underneath. Henry joined him and engulfed Ted in a tight embrace. “I didn’t know my boyfriend was such a badass.”

“Shut up.”

“A complete idiot but still a badass.”

“Just go to sleep, Ted.”

“Boy, I am one lucky man.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

The smile on their faces only grew as Ted held Henry equally as tight and Henry buried his head into his neck, falling asleep in no time at all.

———

“I found out the next morning that not only did he get some of the things that we were running out of, but he also found a sample from a dead zombie thing and brought it back. And ever since that night, it’s been…tense. We both kind of avoided each other unconsciously. I know I should’ve apologized, but…”

While Ted talked, Paul could not help but sympathize with him. He tried to imagine what that was like and his heart sped up at the thought of Emma getting hurt or risking anything for him. And Paul knew that she would do it without hesitation.

He remembered that night that Ted described at dinner. For once, he was quiet and it was strange. Paul hated to admit it, but Ted kept the conversation going without awkwardness, whether it just be him and Henry talking or Ted replying sarcastically to someone else. That night, he just stared silently at Henry’s seat, occasionally putting spoonfuls of food into his mouth, worry lacing his features. Emma tried to talk to him about it, but it took Charlotte to calm him down and convince him to try to sleep. That night and the past few days only showed how much Ted truly loved Henry, even if neither of them saw that.

Paul frowned when he heard Ted pause and put his head in his hands. He rubbed his face and looked at the floor. Paul noticed that Ted was crying when continuing, “Paul, I know this sounds fucking stupid, but… I’m scared. He’s the one good thing in my life right now. I don’t want to lose him to this stupid, alien thing. I… love him, Paul. I love him so fucking much. I can’t stand to think that he could have died and I wasn’t there to stop it. He’s the strong one. He can go out there and be brave and shit. Me? I’ve been sitting here drunk off my ass most of the time and feeling sorry for myself.”

“Then why don’t you talk to him? I’m sure he feels the same—”

Ted’s head turned quickly to look at him, but then lowered after a moment. “I can’t. I’m not good with apologies. I can’t— I can’t do it. He’ll just stay with me out of pity or break up with me for being so pathetic.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Paul thought. One thing that was for sure was the overall change in Ted’s demeanor from being in a relationship with Henry. The Ted that he remembered back in the days before the apocalypse would never open his heart and pour out all of his feelings to anyone, even Paul. He barely knew Ted, yet the man that sat in front of him confessing his fear of losing the man he loved to the point of crying varied drastically from the scumbag that hit on anything that would walk in his direction. Although the drinking habit remained, the Ted back then never admitted defeat, blaming the people who denied his advances.

And he knew that Henry was the cause of the change.

He then walked over and sat next to Ted, pushing some empty bottles out of the way. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and said, “I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit, Ted. I can tell from what Emma has told me and…things that I’ve seen that he’s head over heels for you and, from what you just told me, I think that you’re excellent at apologies. You just don’t believe that you are capable of being forgiven or even loved. Maybe you even blame yourself for what happened, I don’t know. But, just tell him what you told me and you should be fine.”

“Thanks, Paul,” Ted looked at him and grinned wildly while opening his arms for a hug. “Come here, big guy.”

Ted hugged him tightly and Paul never felt so uncomfortable in his life. He just patted Ted on the back and attempted to move away from the hug as soon as possible.

Once Ted let go, Paul stood up and turned to him, saying, “Just get some sleep and… shower, definitely shower before going to talk to him.”

“Will do.”


	4. We Had It with Your Discipline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma helps Henry deal with his emotional, mental, and physical devastation and work through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Language, Yelling, Angst, Mentions of Painkillers

“Fucking piece of shit!” The sound of glass breaking resounded into the hallway. “How the fuck can someone make a pair of fucking tongs flammable?”

When Emma heard these loud exclamations of profanity, she sprinted to the lab, fearing that something horrible could have happened. She found Henry standing in the middle of glass shards and spilled liquid, cradling his hand in pain. She stepped carefully around the glass and examined the mess, asking, “Professor? Are you okay?”

“What kind of fucking question is that?” Henry asked through gritted teeth. His jaw was clenched together tightly and the wince in his eyes disclosed the extent of his pain.

“Just calm down. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! The shitty bone structure in my hand causes a fucking fireworks show every time I move it.”

Emma held out her hand and placed a hand on his wrist gently, trying to appease him. “Can I take a look?”

Henry looked up at her and sighed after a moment, averting his eyes back to the ground. “Yes, fine, whatever. As long as you don’t make it hurt a shit ton more.”

Emma nodded absently and brought it closer to her. After looking through the many survival books that Henry had, they found a book about medical care with limited resources. They managed to figure out that the bone in Henry’s hand and pinky was broken and required a cast. One cast and a splint later, the only thing left to do was hope for the best for proper healing without medical professionals treating the injuries. The cast was made of paper mache and made rather crudely, while the splint was just a couple leftover popsicle sticks and some tape.

The cast, despite all the gloom and despair that permeated from the professor, was signed by the various occupants of the house, wishing the best of luck for recovery or taking up spaces by doodles. Charlotte wrote down the routine for taking the pain medication for Henry to serve as a reminder for the professor. Emma wrote a note, reassuring him that everything would be fine and whatnot. Bill wrote down some inspirational quotes from musicals that he knew Henry would appreciate. Alice drew a pretty drawing with flowers and butterflies. Paul just wrote his name with a small smiley face. 

Even though the people around him tried to alleviate the sadness within him after his fight with Ted, the hole of blank space left a void where he knew Ted’s name would have been. Henry tried focusing on the positives like the rest of the drawings on his cast or what Ted would write on his cast, but every time he thought about it resulted in him thinking about the fight and what he said.

Emma saw nothing unusual with the professor’s injuries and carefully let go of his hand. “Did you take any painkillers?”

“I took some on Tuesday.”

“Professor, it’s Thursday.”

“Ah, that must be why it’s being a little bitch.”

“I’ll go get you some,” Emma assured him and left without staying long enough for him to deny her help. When she returned, she handed him the pills and a glass of water. “Take these. It should help.”

Henry didn’t bother to look up and nodded through clenched teeth, downing the pills and the water effortlessly. His eyes darted back and forth as if he was scrutinizing each shard of glass. He then checked his splint and cast again, dissatisfied with the results. “The painkillers will dissolve soon enough. I need to clean this mess up in the meantime.”

“No, I got it,” she said, stopping him from moving past her by placing her hands on his shoulders. Emma saw how Henry gripped the counter beside him tightly with his good hand and leaned on it to support himself. After seeing this happen before, she recognized one of the professor’s spells of dizziness from exhaustion and steadied him. “You— sit down before you collapse.”

“No, I’ve got to—”

“Professor, please, just take a break.”

Henry looked up at Emma and nodded weakly, walking over to the nearest chair to sit down. On the way, he was mumbling incoherent phrases probably cursing the millennial generation or something of the sort.

As much as it hurt her, the Henry Hidgens sitting there now was different from the man that she thought of as one of her closest friends. This version of him was easily irritable and cursed frequently, traits that never appeared in Henry before or, perhaps, around her. Even though he tended to forget to sleep or eat, Emma noticed that these characteristics were only amplified after the fight. When she would wake up during the night because of various reasons, she often ventured to his lab to check on him. Previously, Henry’s sleep habits rooted in his continuous working, but now, he barely worked. He simply sat in the corner of the room either crying or nursing his hand. Whenever she tried to bring it up to him, Henry would brush it off with a dismissive comment or answer vaguely. Either way, he was in pain, both physically and emotionally.

Emma hated seeing him in this state. The combination of pain, sleep deprivation, and regret took a toll on him in the form of disregard for himself and taking his frustration out on others. Previously, Henry was subtle when expressing or dealing with his frustration, but the only difference now was that he did not hide his annoyance from anyone. He snapped at anyone when he left the confines of his lab, but the other people in the house knew that he never meant any words that he said. If he started to get too out of control, Emma would help him calm down, but even then he would apologize and then retreat to his lab for another long time.

They sat in silence as Emma pondered the last week and cleaned up the floor. When she was done, she studied him. Henry sat with his head in his healthy hand, dozing off from the sudden stillness, but every time he was almost fast asleep, he woke up with a jump. This sequence of events happened over and over again until Emma sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

He looked up at her slowly, his age truly settling in his face. He just looked uncharacteristically… old. The man that she witnessed do graceful leaps into the air with perfect execution looked as if he would fall apart at any second with the softest touch. Henry then took his free hand and placed it on hers, before reassuring her by saying, “I’m fine, my dear. It just hurts.”

“The painkillers haven’t kicked in yet?”

“Yes, but it’s not that,” he said grimly, a bitter smile spreading across his face. “I feel like shit for saying those things to Ted. It was selfish of me to accuse him of not doing anything. I realized that he performs the most important task out of us all… and willingly as well.”

Emma furrowed her brow, thinking of what that was for a moment. “Really? What’s that?”

The bitterness in his smile morphed into fondness, shifting his glance from her to the wall. “He keeps me sane, Emma.”

“What the hell does that mean?” She asked incredulously. “I practically stopped you from kicking Paul’s ass a couple of days ago when he drank the last of the coffee.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he replied, shaking his head. “Yes, you do a lot for me and you mean a lot to me, my dear. I thank you for that, but… Ted’s effect on me is like a painkiller that works far better than all the fucking morphine in the world combined. All he could do is smile and I forget all of my worries about the potentialities of the apocalypse. In all sincerity, Ted’s one of the reasons I fight to stop the shit that happens out there.”

Emma watched as Henry’s eyes lit up when he talked about him in a way that she hadn’t seen since he talked about him before they were together. He seemed to zone out into the fondness of his memories, but he snapped out of that mindset with a few blinks, before looking at Emma once more.

“And despite how much of a bastard I was toward him, Ted— fuck, I’m so fucking in love with him and I hate myself for being such a goddamn fool for not telling him before. I lost him and I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

Emma pursed her lips and took in a deep breath. “Well, I know what you’d do.”

“You do?” Henry looked up at her in surprise. “And what would that be?”

“All of this. Exactly what you’re doing right now. You’re sitting here alone when the person you love is out there probably blaming himself for the exact same reasons you are.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do,” Emma said with confidence. “For the past week, I’ve watched him empty every bottle of liquor that he can. Now, I know you had a lot of alcohol in this place, so I think you can do that math about his alcohol intake.”

Henry sighed and nodded slowly, running his uninjured hand over his face as an attempt to wipe away the tears. Before he could reason with her, Emma continued, saying, “Don’t you give me any bullshit, Professor, but tell me one thing: why were you fighting in the first place?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I think it’d be good to get out.”

“Well, if you must know,” Henry started, breathing in as he felt the painkillers begin to work.

———

Henry woke up that morning with a jump, startled by a nightmare that disturbed his sleep. He felt the sweat on his forehead and his body and his lungs gasping for air. By this point, he couldn't recall exactly what the nightmare was about, but he knew that it was bad. Most of the time, he could bear through nightmares, but after looking beside him, he knew why.

Ted was not there.

Once the initial shock disappeared, the confusion settled in. Ted never woke up before Henry and even then, left the bed. His lover was the type of person not to leave the confines of the bed unless either Henry was getting up or the world was ending. Finding his bed without Ted caused him to leap out of bed the best he could and rush to get somewhat decent, before heading downstairs. 

Henry knew Ted was down there by the smell of coffee brewing. He followed the scent and found Ted, not only drinking coffee but even making breakfast. This action only piled onto the preexisting confusion. Along with not waking up early, Ted never made breakfast simply because he’s a horrible cook and other people woke before him to do it.

Henry walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee, then walking over to Ted. He pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and leaned against the counter next to the stove. 

Ted looked over to him and smiled, reaching over and taking his hand. He squeezed it while saying, “Morning, babe.”

“How’d you sleep?” Henry asked after taking another sip. 

Ted shrugged and resumed his cooking. Henry glanced over at the pan and the eggs did not look burned. It looked…almost edible, perhaps good, surprisingly. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. Henry then put his mug down and picked up the spatula next to him, pointing it at Ted. “Who are you? What have you done with my Teddy bear?”

“What the—” Ted said, glancing up at Henry. He then pointed his own spoon at his partner. “Is this how it’s going to be?”

“It’s only a question, love. Answer and everything will be fine.”

Ted slowly turned off the eggs so they didn’t burn and approached Henry, spoon still directed at him. “Make me.”

———

“Woah, Professor,” Emma interrupted him, looking at him with wide eyes. “If you two fucked, I don’t want to hear about it.”

Henry looked like he was experiencing a mixture of horror and amusement and caused Emma to burst out laughing. She watched as the professor turned from pale to a deep red and attempted to formulate a reply. 

“Geez,” Emma tried to placate him. “I was just joking.”

Henry rolled his eyes, annoyed but relaxing again. He sighed, before saying, “To address your concern, we didn’t. Get your mind out of the fucking gutter.”

Emma tried her best to stifle back the laughter, but a small chuckle escaped her lips. She couldn’t help it. “Anyway, go on.”

Henry nodded and looked back down at his injured hand, playing with the frayed edges once more. He took a deep breath, continuing, “Yes, well, we just had a little fun—”

“That sounds like you fucked, Professor.”

“Okay, we messed around—”

“Still seems like you fucked.”

“Good god, Emma! Stop talking!” Henry snapped, gripping his cast with such strength that he pulled a small chunk of the paper mache out. They both were silent momentarily before he calmed himself down. He mumbled curses at himself for acting in such a way to Emma, while standing up and tossing the piece into the nearest garbage can.

Emma watched him sadly. She wasn’t mad at him or blamed him for yelling at her, but she was certainly shocked that it happened. Then again, Henry, especially now, could be very unpredictable. Emma wasn’t trying to rationalize his uncontrolled anger. She knew that he was trying to do better and he’s in a lot of pain, blaming himself for everything around him. Thinking back, Henry was always like that. Even when he was just her teacher and she was just his student. Before they were friends. Before everything happened.

Henry returned and sat down, clutching his hand in pain. It hurt and Emma knew that it did, despite the pain medicine taking effect. “I apologize for yelling, Emma. I raised my voice and it was completely uncalled for. I—”

“I know, Professor. It’s fine,” Emma said, placing a hand on his shoulder and feeling him place his on top of hers gingerly. “I know, but you need to talk to him. The guilt, regret, whatever it is— it’s destroying you.”

Henry looked up with wide eyes and paused. He gulped and began toying with the ends again, saying, “I know, but I can’t talk to him.” 

“Why?”

“I have reason to believe that he wouldn’t want to see me again after all I said.”

Silence rose again and Emma felt Henry squeeze her hand gently, before putting it on his lap. For the first time in a while, Emma noticed how truly tired he was. The darkness under his eyes appeared darker and emphasized the shadow of his eyes. His cheekbones and jawline were more prominent, but not in a healthy way. The lines on his face seemed deeper than usual, especially the one around the grimace forming on his lips. Based on his appearance, she knew that one thing was for certain, despite how sad or depressing it was: Henry Hidgens had given up.

She didn’t know what exactly, but the drive and the passion that he once had disappeared. Emma remembered the times when she all but dragged him out of the lab to eat or sleep and the times when she would go to check on him and not find him there but with Ted watching a movie on the couch. Regardless of where that drive was or what it was aimed at, the idea remained simply that, at this particular moment, Henry had no reason to do anything without Ted. 

“Professor, what makes you say that?”

“I might have…run into Ted once.”

Emma, who was currently focused on a piece of glass that she neglected to pick up on the floor, sprang up and looked at him with wide eyes. “Hold the fuck up. What?”

“You heard me,” he replied dejectedly, averting his gaze to anywhere but where she was.

“Are you serious? Did you talk to him?” Emma asked, only for Henry to respond by opening his mouth to speak, shutting it, and then finally shaking his head. “Well, what happened?”

Henry hesitated for a moment, before saying, “It was the day after the fight happened. I was going to get some more medication from the kitchen when I saw him in the living room, retrieving alcohol. To put it simply, I froze. I wanted to go talk to him, apologize to him, make everything right again, but I couldn’t. Something was holding me back. Looking back on it, it was the dread that Ted would break up with me and never talk to me ever again, which quite frankly is impossible due to the status of the world right now.

“Anyway, I figured that if I was fast enough, I could get the medication and tried to move as quickly as I could. On my way to the kitchen, I accidentally slammed my bad hand into the cabinet door, making a loud noise and a lot of pain on my part. Ted turned around and looked at me. It felt like forever that we were just standing there, looking at each other. Then he picked up the alcohol and ran back upstairs.”

Henry looked at Emma and put his hands in his lap, sighing. “Before you get on my ass about not talking to him, I couldn’t face the fact that he could reject me. If I marched up to him at that moment, I don’t know what I would’ve said. I could have made the situation worse for all I know. I’ve never had a good reputation with…emotions and relationships, so processing our fight was something that deprived me of sleep, stalled my experiments, and halted my life at the same time. All I wanted to do at that moment was kiss him until both of us forgot everything, tell him how much I love him, and ask for his forgiveness. But, by the way, he looked at me, I don’t think he was in the right state of mind for any of that either.”

The tears began to stream down his face again and he quickly apologized, before standing up and leaving the room hurriedly. Emma wanted to follow him, but she just watched him leave, knowing that he needed some time to think.

Once he left the room, their conversation solidified to Emma that Henry was spiraling downward at a rapid rate and it wasn’t going to be long before he made a rash decision and her fears would come true. At this point, the only person that could prevent him from doing anything irrational was Ted and, even then, Emma dreaded the possibility that Henry was too far gone.


	5. Get A Little Action In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry convinces himself to talk to Ted. Ted gets sober and makes a life-changing decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Language, Mentions of Alcohol, Smoking, Self-Deprecation
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Henry knew that he loved Ted when he agreed to let Henry teach him how to dance. 

It was uneventful. There was no swell of violins, rose petals falling across the room, fireworks shooting off in the distance. If anything, it was one of the most mundane moments, perhaps, ever.

Well, at the time.

To the Henry sitting alone on the secluded balcony with a lit cigarette in his hand, it was one of the happiest memories of his entire life.

It was more than playing the game of loving someone and deciphering whether or not they reciprocate your love, a game that Henry knew all too well. But it was different with Ted. There was no debate over his attraction to Henry based on countless words and actions that Ted said and did throughout their relationship.

And because of that, everything that had to do with Ted gave him a sort of…self-proclaimed meaning, one that he decided was his purpose and not thrust onto him by others. 

For a long time, Henry lived for one reason and one reason only: the apocalypse. After the deaths of his friends during college, he spent thirty years trying to find ways to stop it, find out when it was going to happen, and prepare for a life of survival. Henry felt guilty for not being able to prevent their demise, dealing with the pain through manufacturing a way to be the one who saved the day. And most definitely everything going according to plan without any help from anyone else.

With said apocalypse in full swing and demolishing the entirety of Hachetfield, Henry never expected Emma, four strangers, and one unconscious Infected to be at his door. And one factor he definitely did not theorize was falling in love with one of them. 

Good god, he thought Ted was just an annoying asshole who badgered him constantly until he sobered up and closed his goddamn mouth for once. On second thought, Henry was initially attracted to Ted, but it was more physically than to his personality or anything else. It was characteristics like his lean frame and dark hair that fed his attraction. Even then, he didn’t know if his attraction to him was genuine or if it was the result of isolating himself for so long that one encounter with another person sent him over the edge.

Despite his feelings and all of the action happening in the house and outside, he dismissed the provocative thoughts of Ted that invaded his head and repressed them. “Once it ends,” the professor told himself. “Once it all ends.”

Henry spent his days in the lab attempting to find solutions and, for the times that he ascended from the depths of his house, he watched the love between Emma and Paul grow. Of course, he couldn’t lie to himself when he thought about wanting that type of a relationship with someone, but every time, he reprimanded himself for not focusing on the task at hand.

The initial disappointment throughout the entire situation was that it never ended. Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before any of them knew it, it was nearly six months later. 

Six months of Henry’s hopes and dreams crushed by reality. 

Six months of Henry wanting to return to his normal life, yet knowing he never could.

Six months of Henry suppressing his emotions in favor of working on a cure for the people who fell to the apocalypse that never was going to work. 

Henry sacrificed his entire life for what? Nothing. He missed out on finding love, being a parent, and starting a family just so he could chase the inevitable conclusion of failure. All of the things that he ever wanted out of life went to shit when the apocalypse destroyed the world around him.

Henry wallowed in self-pity for a couple more weeks with no hopes in finding happiness or any positivity from the outside world. He even replaced his usual turtlenecks and khakis with t-shirts and sweatpants, maybe jeans, out of complete negligence for his appearance. As an attempt to cheer him up, Emma used the information that Paul told her and weaseled the thought of Ted being interested in him. Henry didn’t believe her initially, but she assured him that Ted was interested in him of all people.

Then all of a sudden, those feelings returned to him in the same way a train would run over someone standing on the tracks. 

Before that point, all of the moments that Ted would spend in his lab with him didn’t faze Henry one bit. He didn’t think twice about Ted bringing him his coffee every morning just the way he liked it or sitting there quietly as he listened to his concerns or anything that was on his mind. He only realized that Ted was flirting with him and trying to “woo” him when thinking back on those times. 

The swirl of emotions that one conversation initiated engulfed Henry’s thoughts and effectively worked according to Emma’s plan to distract him from the current circumstances upon later reflection. All of his thoughts, no matter where they started, eventually wandered to Ted and, by this time, the attraction developed from the physical to everything about him.

He found himself laughing at Ted’s jokes, no matter how stupid or overused they were. Henry shared details about himself that not even Emma knew. Henry initiated more physical contact unconsciously, rather than deliberately like before. 

After two painful days of emotionally losing control over Ted, Henry’s mind was relentless. The only subject that played in his mind was everything about Ted. Ted’s outfit that day, the way Ted smelt, even Ted’s facial expressions when he thought no one was looking. Henry wanted his inability to focus on anything but Ted to disappear.

So, he figured he would just tell him. Simple as that. Blunt, straightforward (despite how gay the confession was), and to the point.

“I find you attractive,” Henry recalled himself saying bluntly to Ted in between the repeated inhalation and exhalation of smoke from his cigarette.

It was a decent day and under the mental and emotional stress he was in, Henry was smoking on the balcony with Ted standing next to Henry and drinking a beer. This was a typical occurrence. Looking out at the Hachetfield skyline allowed both of them to reminisce on the days when the apocalypse wasn’t destroying humanity. They talked some but it was always relatively quiet, disregarding the occasional clink of glass or the sound of the exhalation of smoke. 

When Henry said those four words, Ted nearly choked on the beer and spat it out on the ground below them, avoiding death by beer. Once the coughing fit that ensued died down, Ted looked back at him to see Henry still calmly smoking his cigarette, as if nothing out of the ordinary was ever said. 

Henry only looked over to him when Ted didn’t respond and he witnessed a flabbergasted Ted, jaw dropped to the floor and a stain from the beer that he choked on. The professor’s facial expression only turned mildly concerned while he said, “What?”

Even though his confession wasn’t a big deal to Henry, he found out later that it was monumental for Ted. Ted was sputtering and manufacturing a reply, until he just uttered, “What the fuck?”

“What?” Henry asked, shifting his stance to lean against the railing, the cigarette still dangling from his lips. “Good god, Ted. Get yourself together.”

“Get yourself together?” Ted repeated, clearly still shocked by Henry’s proclamation. “Fuck, Henry. You said that I’m hot!”

“And?”

“‘And?!’ You can’t just do that to a man! What am I supposed to fucking do?”

To be completely honest, Henry had no idea how to respond. He hoped that Ted would, you know, feel the same way, but he would understand if he didn't. Henry was— well, older than he was and had grey hair. Despite his insecurities, he rather enjoyed the freedom of not withholding his emotions anymore, no matter what Ted’s response was.

“I don’t know,” Henry said, shrugging and taking another drag. “I was reluctant to theorize about the aftermath.”

“Why not?”

Henry stared at his cigarette longingly, tapping the ash of the end and letting it drift to the ground below. He then looked up at Ted and met his eyes for the first time since his proclamation. Ted’s eyes were darting all over the place, scanning his face, his hair, anything he could take in at that moment. 

“I was scared that you might not reciprocate my attraction.”

When Ted burst out laughing, almost dropping his beer in the process, Henry felt worried if Ted was okay or if his fears were coming true. Truth be told, laughter wasn’t on the list of responses that he expected. He didn’t know if Ted was mocking him or simply going insane.

“Are you fucking with me, Henry?”

“No—”

“I mean, why the hell would I not be into you?”

It was Henry’s turn to be shocked. The cigarette in his mouth fell and landed on his hand, leaving a small singe where it landed. Henry stamped the cigarette out, his eyes never straying from Ted’s. He watched Ted place his beer on the small table in the corner.

“Ted, I—”

“And just so you know, before you go and deny it, you definitely are so goddamn hot. Like when you traded your khakis for those jeans that one time— Wow.”

“Ted—” Henry attempted to protest and felt warmth flood his cheeks from the sudden compliment.

“Oh! And when you forgot to straighten your hair—”

Ted didn’t get a chance to finish his compliment to Henry when Henry cupped the sides of Ted’s jaw and silenced him with a kiss. He felt Ted still and then two arms wrap themselves around Henry’s waist, drawing him closer.

Henry could remember every detail from that kiss. The feeling of warmth emitting from Ted’s body, the taste of alcohol on his tongue, the brush of coarse hair from his mustache and stubble, even then he wouldn’t deny that he wanted more. To Henry, it felt…right, as if everything in his life was leading to this one moment. He never asked Ted about his experience from that kiss, but he probably did something right because there were more after. 

After a few seconds, Henry separated himself from Ted reluctantly. He stepped back against the railing and shoved his hand in the inside pocket of his coat, scouring the space for another cigarette and his lighter. Once Henry found them, he lit one hastily and took in an inhale of smoke to ease the rapid beating of his heart. After another deep breath, he glanced over to see Ted slowly open his eyes again and locking with his own. Henry averted his gaze in the embarrassment of being caught staring and toyed with the cigarette, taking a long drag.

“Henry, you just fucking kissed me.”

“Yeah,” Henry chuckled as smoke trickled out of his mouth, looking back at his cigarette to stop Ted from seeing him blush. “I suppose I did.”

Ted laughed with Henry joining in after a second. Ted took a few steps closer to Henry and took the cigarette out of Henry’s hand, extinguishing it in the ashtray. Henry then watched as Ted gently traced his fingers along his arms.

He never thought that he would get this far. Henry believed that he would chicken out or never say anything, but not this. Here, he held Ted, he kissed Ted, he began the road of doing something he wanted to do for a long time. Henry couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t understand what Ted saw in him to even be in the room. Because of the way Ted talked about Henry, Henry figured he must’ve been a fraction of a bit attractive to Ted to get his attention.

Ted pulled Henry out of his thoughts when Henry noticed that his hands were on his jaw. Henry met Ted’s eyes and felt himself smile and blush even more. “Good god, Ted.”

Ted responded with wide eyes and a furrowed brow. “What is it?”

Henry placed his hands onto Ted’s shirt and gripped it tightly, balling the fabric up in his fists. He looked at his fist, before meeting Ted’s eyes once more. “You’re such an idiot. You know that, right?”

“But I’m your idiot.”

“Yes, yes, you are.” Henry sighed dramatically and pulled Ted closer, a wide smile forming on his face. They gazed at each other for a moment. Looking back at it, it was the moment when Henry realized how stunning Ted’s eyes looked in the sunlight. Before, he only saw them in the fluorescent lights of his lab or the kitchen. The sunlight accented the spots of honey in Ted’s irises that the lights inside the house masked through the terrible lighting.

“Are you gonna kiss me or keep staring?” Ted asked, intruding on Henry’s thoughts.

Suddenly, Ted’s lips crashed into his own, preventing Henry from responding.

Henry remembered the kiss that ensued is one of the best that he ever had, even though there were not many competitors for the title. The kiss quickly escalated from gentle pecks and soft caresses to deep kisses and needy touches. Soon enough, Ted tugged on Henry’s lip, asking for entry, which Henry gave immediately. Teeth clashed and, after Henry untucked Ted’s shirt, he grasped onto Ted’s hip in a way that was bound to leave bruises later. Meanwhile, Ted gripped onto Henry’s hair, hearing a muffled moan come from Henry’s mouth.

Being pinned against the railing didn’t stop Henry, though. Henry moved one of his hands onto Ted’s ass and gripped tightly, bringing him to flush against him. The instant connection between the two caused them to separate, the feeling almost too much for either of them.

As the adrenaline of the situation drifted away, Henry took in several deep breaths and accessed his— well, compromising position. 

Henry was leaning onto the railing of the balcony, hand still on Ted’s ass that, from this point forward, was never going to leave. Ted leaned his head onto Henry’s shoulder, seeming like he was trying to hide the bright blush on his face from Henry, but in reality, he was seizing the opportunity to plant more kisses on his jaw. 

Reminiscing over that moment, Henry couldn’t help but think about how fucking gorgeous Ted was in that position. With his hair sticking up in many different directions, his shirt severely wrinkled and untucked, and the red tint that his face acquired from either the lack of oxygen or the intensity of making out with someone, Ted looked almost…ethereal. 

Almost two months later, Henry stood in the same position, watching that moment replay over and over in his head. It was the catalyst to the beginning of their relationship and their inevitable fight. 

He was standing alone, watching the cigarette burn down into a pile of ash and trying to convince himself to do the unthinkable: talk to Ted.

Of course, it seemed a lot more daunting than those words let on. The possibilities were endless regarding how badly he could fuck everything up. He could say the wrong thing and initiate another fight. He could chicken out at the last minute and never talk to him, hindering what little relationship Henry believed they had left.

Henry knew that everyone was right. He had to do it at some point in time. He longed for Ted in his heart, but every time he wanted to go search the house for Ted, his mind told him that Ted would break up with him. He would rather not talk to him and remain together than talk to him and lose him forever.

Henry missed waking up to Ted’s outrageous bed head and the warm feeling of having his arms wrapped around Ted. He missed the random conversations that Ted’s mind manufactured and their constant use of cheesy pickup lines that made each other blush. He missed each gentle touch, kiss, and word that they shared. 

Fuck, he was in deep. 

Henry was so in love with him that it hurt thinking of him and not being able to be near him.

Well, you could. His heart whispered. All you gotta do is talk to him.

Henry chuckled at the proposition. It was really that simple. He knew it was. The idea kept circling around his head for a reason and it was because of its simplicity. 

You know what would happen. His mind replied. You would just fuck it up like everything else in your life.

As much as it hurt, his mind was right. He would fuck it up. Henry fucked up his life with his Workin’ Boys then and fucked up his life with Ted now. 

Once the cigarette in his hand was rendered to a pile of ash, he blew the contents away into the surrounding air, watching as it disappeared into oblivion. Henry dusted off his hands and wiped them on his pants. 

Then a notion struck him.

What if he just…disappeared? Then he would never have to have that fated conversation.

He shook the thought from his mind when he realized that Emma would drag his ass back here to stop him from avoiding it.

He rubbed his temples with one hand when his head began to throb from the abundance of emotion. Henry sat down and closed his eyes, leaning his head in his good hand. Combined with the pain in his hand, he wished that something would just numb all of the pain, whether it be physical, emotional, or mental.

Henry could hear Emma chastise him, saying, “You’re making things too complicated.”

Usually, he would never listen, but this time, he took her advice.

How did Henry confess his feelings to Ted? Simply.

If it worked once before, it might work again. 

To win back Ted, he just needed to be extremely blunt. 

Fuck you, mind. He thought, giving his conscience a mental middle finger. I’m gonna get my Ted back.

Henry stood up abruptly, regretting that decision immediately when another pang of pain spread throughout his hand and head. He groaned and moved to exit the balcony.

Expecting to have some time to prepare his words, he froze when he saw Ted standing in the living room, staring back at him.

Oh, fuck.

— — — 

While Henry was having an existential crisis on the balcony, Ted hyped himself up in the mirror. 

To give an accurate description of Ted’s mental status, imagine any teenage coming-of-age movie when the teen was getting ready for a date. Cheery, uplifting music and dancing montages, the whole package.

The only differences were that Ted was a middle-aged man and this was the apocalypse; everyone in that house abhorred music by that point. 

A newly sober Ted regarded himself in the mirror. His hair was still wet from the shower and he actually didn’t look absolutely disgusting for the first time in a week. 

Ted no longer reeked of alcohol but of some fruity body soap that Ted found in the cabinet. His hair wasn’t matted with sweat to the point that it was almost glued to his head. 

Sure, he had to chug about four glasses of water to avoid dehydration, but he felt better than before. 

The lack of alcohol helped with helping him process what he was going to say and— well, everything that happened. (Shocking. I know.) Drunkenness didn’t really favor the thoughtful. 

He spent so much time wallowing in the thought that Henry was in the wrong and should apologize that he neglected to put some of the blame on himself. 

Henry wasn’t selfish and did things for himself. He always had others in mind. When Henry went out into Hachetfield alone, albeit it was a stupid decision, he did it so that none of the other occupants in the house would get hurt or die. He risked his life for the good of the people around him, not himself. 

In conclusion, Henry did what he thought was right and necessary and Ted got angry about it.

When he saw the “blue shit” left unattended, anger bubbled from deep within him and he acted irrationally. He couldn’t help but toss it out. His Henry could have died because of that. 

It wasn’t okay. His actions were not okay. He regretted saying every hurtful word, pushing Henry and everyone else away, and most importantly, hurting Henry.

He could never erase the look of pure despair when he looked back and saw Henry on the verge of tears. 

He could never forget the sound of Henry smashing his hand against the counter and the crunch of the bones from the strong force.

Even in his drunken state, Ted heard everything. Every shout of pain, every curse to himself and others, every angry outburst from Henry. It only made him drink more and cry harder when he realized that it was his fault that Henry was like this.

Ted’s heart shattered more and more every time. 

But now in his sober state, his love for Henry and his desire to fix everything only grew by the second. He was itching to simply be in the same room as him again. 

Ted looked in the mirror at the final thing preventing him from hunting Henry down and apologizing to him.

His beard.

He neglected to shave while he was drunk, but now, he was faced with doing so. He could never talk to Henry with such horrible thing growing on his face.

Ted looked at the razor and picked it up slowly, looking at it.

He could go back to his typical mustache, but he needed something new. Something to show to Henry that he’s committed to moving on from their fight and embracing their future.

Fuck it. He thought. I’m gonna shave it. All. Of. It.

Before he could change his mind, he put the razor down and lathered on shaving cream over his entire beard.

Then he picked up the razor, examining it.

Finally, he made the first shave.

It already started. There was no turning back now. 

Ted slowly watched as with every swipe of the razor, remnants of the days wallowing in self-pity went away. 

Soon, he was clean-shaven. Ted had no idea if Henry would like it, but it was worth a shot. It was certainly something that he hadn’t done in years by now. 

He ran his hand over the smooth skin and smiled. I don’t look too awful.

Ted rinsed off the sink and washed the hair down the drain, running the razor under the water as well.

He patted his cheeks with aftershave and quickly posed in the mirror, boosting his self-confidence.

Ted was determined to win the love of his life back, no matter what it took.

(I mean, seriously. The man shaved off his mustache.)


	6. 'Cause Saturday Night's the Night I Like

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Ted’s confrontation. How does it go? Does it turn out well? Or does it end with someone being hurt? Find out in the final chapter!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we made it. This is the final chapter of Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting. Thank you so much for reading this fic. This was my first multi-chapter work. Enjoy!
> 
> Make sure to check out my tumblr cynicalkairos. I'm always free to talk there.

Oh fuck. 

It was truly the only thought that Henry could process. He repeated those words countless times, but even then, he couldn’t comprehend that the man that haunted his thoughts and dreams for the last week was standing in front of him.

Henry attempted to wrap his head around the possibility that Ted wanted to see him again after everything that he said and somehow it became a reality. Every one of his hopes and fears were coming true, terrifying him with the possible outcomes of this conversation.

Henry felt like he was in a hurricane, only now standing the eye. 

He then took a moment to look at Ted, burning every possible detail into his mind in case him speaking resulted in the demolition of their relationship.

First of all, Ted was there. He was actually there. After about a week of separation and total isolation from one another, his heart swelled at the sight of him. All he wanted to do was to walk over there and hug him, but something held him back. Perhaps it was guilt or regret. Or it was fear for the potential outcomes of the situation. Henry decided that he would rather not think about that further. 

Second of all, Ted…had no mustache? On top of all of the other surprises, Henry still found himself shocked. Despite how much he debated over the difference between having the mustache and shaving off the mustache in his mind prior to this moment, Henry couldn’t complain. Being with or without the mustache was a good look for Ted. Sure, he’d miss the rough kisses, but he couldn’t wait to find out how kissing without it would be like. 

Either way, Henry was just glad to be in his presence again, mustache or no mustache. He couldn’t lie. He was nervous seeing the man he loved in person again. For the past week, he lived in the past, diminishing their relationship to fond, yet painful memories. 

Fuck, Ted looks hot. Henry found himself thinking, immediately cursing himself for doing so. He couldn’t help it. Ted, standing there with his hair neatly done and his clothes styled and— well, clean for once, cleaned up nicely. Then again, Ted could be standing in pajamas with a hair in a style that looked like a rat’s nest and Henry would still be attracted— hell, in love with him.

On the other hand, Ted felt tears starting to build, seeing Henry in this state completely for the first time. Sure, Ted heard the yelling, cursing, the outright shouts of agony, but this was more than he ever imagined. Ted thought that Henry still took care of himself, moved on without him. Then the voice in the back of his head reminded him: Henry tended to drown himself in guilt. The sheer look of longing on Henry’s face broke his heart. The man he fell in love with was strong and able to withstand anything thrown at him, but the man in front of him fell apart because of him. Him and his irrational decisions. 

With one look at Henry, Ted could tell that Henry had not cared about his presentation in the same way. The one physical characteristic that he never saw Henry acquire since when he met him was facial hair. Of course, Ted would wake up to some stubble, but Henry would always shave it off before leaving the comforts of their bedroom. 

Now, Henry had an entire five o’clock shadow. It wasn’t thick like Ted’s was, but it certainly was there. It was completely black, unlike his stark grey hair. To Ted, he thought it was strange to see him with it, but the facial hair wasn’t a bad look for him. He asked Henry about his avid desire to always shave it off. Henry just said that he preferred having a smooth face in response. Seeing him with it now completed the idea that Henry had given up as Emma said. 

Ted’s eyes drifted down, taking in the rest of his disarrayed lover until his eyes landed on the most prominent change: the cast. He remembered the crash that shook the whole house. At that time, Ted didn’t want to think about what might have happened to Henry, but now he realized that it was his hand. He couldn’t stop staring at it. The cast was signed and had drawings all over, but there was a gaping hole of plain white cast in the middle that his gaze could never drift from. And based on the way Henry gripped it, the pain must have been tremendous.

It was your fault. His thoughts echoed, causing the tears to start to flow down his face. You did this to him.

Henry went through all of the pain and suffering alone when Ted could have been there to help. Ted blamed himself for that. In fact, they both blamed themselves. Not each other. Ted heard Henry blame everything else but Ted for what happened. He saw the pain, regret, sorrow, and tiredness build up in his eyes.

“Does it hurt?” Ted asked quietly, only getting a nod from the other, taking a deep breath himself before continuing, “I’m—”

“Sorry? Welcome to the fucking club.” Henry completed for him, a tight smile forming on his face. He looked away, boring holes into the couch, before sighing and looking back at a speechless Ted. “I— uh, apologize...for that.”

Ted nodded, feeling his hands move to his hips, as he stood there trying to figure out what to say, what to do.

“Ted—” “Henry—” They both said simultaneously, looking at each other in a silent exchange as to who spoke first.

“You go,” Ted said.

“No, you.”

“No, no, it’s fine—”

“Ted, I insist—”

“Okay, I just wanna say—” 

Henry looked away and clenched his jaw, a wave of pain surging up his arm. He was due for a second dose of medication, but he couldn’t live with himself if he lost this opportunity to make it up to Ted. To talk to him once more. To apologize.

“Hen,” Ted started in a soft, delicate voice, tears starting to brim his eyes. Damn it, Richards. Just had to pull this shit. “You sure you’re alright?”

Before Henry could answer, a sob escaped Ted. Loud and clear. A distinct inhalation of air that caused Henry to turn his head back over to Ted.

Henry saw Ted’s tears and an immediate look of concern appeared on his face. Ted’s crying got heavier and heavier as more blame and guilt resurfaced. He tried to brush it off, turning away so Henry wouldn’t see him cry. Ted hid his face with his hands, the sobs taking over him. Henry carefully walked over to Ted and stood in front of him. 

He didn’t know what to do. His instincts urged him to hug him— hold him so that neither of them would be without one another again. His mind cautioned him, warning him against initiating any sort of physical contact.

Henry released the breath he didn’t know was holding and placed his hand on Ted’s shoulder. Ted’s eyes shot up at him, wide, red, and filled with awe.

What Henry did not expect was Ted crashing into him and wrapping his arms around him with a tight grip. While Ted buried his head into Henry’s neck, Henry stood there in shock. He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He thought Ted would yell at him and blame him. But Ted…did not. 

Ted was crying into his turtleneck. 

Ted’s tears were soaking his shirt.

“I’m so sorry,” Ted said in between sobs, holding onto Henry tighter and tighter. “I’m so fucking sorry. I shouldn’t have thrown away that shit. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have shut you out. I— I’m so fucking sorry.”

Henry couldn’t stop the tears forming in his eyes. He wrapped his uninjured arm around Ted and held him as tight as he could. For the first time in a week, he could say honestly that he did not care about the extreme pain in his hand from the pressure. At that moment, Henry wanted Ted as close as possible to him. 

“I’m sorry too, Ted,” Henry said, the tears that he once hid away in private now out in the open for Ted and everyone else to see. “I shouldn’t have said any of that shit.”

Henry felt the low rumble of Ted’s chuckle against his neck before he said, “Ya weren’t wrong—”

“You shut the fuck up and look at me.” Henry pulled away from the hug just enough to look at Ted in his tear-ridden eyes. He placed his good hand on Ted’s cheek, caressing it gently. “You do not simply sleep and drink and bother me. If there’s anything that this week has taught me, it’s that I need you so fucking much. I tried continuing with my life as if nothing happened, but I… fell apart. You sit there and listen to me rant for hours on end. You make sure I leave the lab every once in a while to eat and sleep. I can’t believe that I thought for one second that a specimen was more important than you, Ted. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t want to fucking lose you again.”

A small smile spread on Henry’s face as he attempted to wipe away the tears on Ted’s face. This was where he longed to be for what felt like forever. He felt like he was home like there wasn’t an alien invasion happening right now.

“I love you, Ted.”

At that moment, Ted froze. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? No, that couldn’t be. Henry couldn’t possibly love… him. Ted fucking Richards. That could not be possible. Ted’s heart raced at the thought. Of course, he loved Henry with all of his heart. He just didn’t want to fuck it up with Henry, so he never told him explicitly. But now, Henry just… told him that he loved him. Henry Hidgens loved Ted Richards. Ted still couldn’t fucking believe it. 

A big smile spread across Ted’s face out of sheer happiness. He never thought there would be a day when someone would say that to him.

“I love you too, Henry.” 

Henry looked in between his eyes and his lips unconsciously. “Can I— Is it okay if I—”

“Henry Hidgens, ya better kiss me or I swear to—”

Ted was interrupted by, you guessed it, Henry kissing him. The initial contact was tentative, each one making sure that the other man was still there. Then, once Henry moved his injured hand to wrap around Ted’s torso, Ted deepened the kiss and pulled Henry closer to him. 

The kiss felt right. Like everything was back where it should be. Henry never believed the idea that two people could “fit” together perfectly, but, at this moment, he realized that being apart made him cherish how greatly Ted fit against his chest and his hips, how seamlessly they moved together, how they made each other feel whole again. 

Henry pulled away sharply as the pain built enough to overpower the adrenaline. He gasped and winced, clenching his cast. Ted stepped back, scared to even think that he might have caused Henry more pain. 

“Pain meds?” Ted asked quietly, getting a few quick nods in response. Ted led Henry to the lab, where Ted sat him down before going to look for the small, orange bottle.

Henry watched Ted open various cabinets and drawers, working diligently but hastily. Before the… the incident, he would fling open every possible option, but now, he worked efficiently. Ted finally procured the bottle and opened it, giving Henry two white pills. 

“Here,” Ted offered. “Do you need—”

Henry quickly swallowed the pills dry, earning a shocked look from Ted.

“Water— Nope, guess not. Okay,” Ted stammered, clearly anxious about this entire ordeal.

“Ted, it’s fine. I’m fine,” Henry assured him. Then said,

“It’s not your fault.” 

Ted felt tears brimming his eyes once more, threatening to flow relentlessly. He knew Henry was right, but, deep down, he couldn’t admit that to himself. Ted started the argument that caused Henry to get angry and make himself angrier, which led to him storming out and Henry fucking up his hand. It was all his fault. And he constantly reminded himself that. 

“I— I know.”  
Henry sighed and took Ted’s hands as best he could. “I never blamed you.”

Ted’s gaze never lifted from the cast. “And I never blamed you.” 

Henry smiled and stood up, reaching over to the counter next to him and holding out a marker. “Ted Richards, would you give me the honor of…signing my cast?”

Ted looked at Henry completely shocked, before taking the marker carefully. He knew that it had to be something meaningful, something to remind Henry that Ted is always there for him. Ted did not want to fuck this up.

He opened the cap and wrote gently and deftly, leaving thick, black strokes behind. 

Henry looked down to see “Ted loves you” in big block letters in the center where the white whole used to be. The void that was once there was now filled with love and joy. The space that reminded him of one of the worst times of his life was gone and replaced by an outrageous feeling of happiness. 

“Good,” Ted whispered. “Now, ya can never forget me.”

“Not that I ever could, my dear.”

“You’re too kind.”

Henry watched curiously as Ted took his good hand and pulled it up to his lips, giving it a chaste kiss. “Can I have this dance, babe?”

Henry found himself giggling of all things and nodded before Ted promptly led him to the open space in the middle of the lab. Henry wrapped his arms around Ted’s waist the best he could and leaned his head on his shoulder. Ted did the same. Both of them held the other tightly, not wanting to let go ever again. 

They gently swayed. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Even though they didn’t want music, it certainly wasn’t needed. The two of them moved together without even needing a beat. 

As they turned around, Henry looked up to see Emma looking at them through the crack in the door.   
He smiled and mouthed a small “Thank you,” resting his head back on Ted’s shoulder.

Emma chuckled and closed the door, letting them enjoy this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to like or comment. It's always appreciated.


End file.
